Sherlock Holmes Shows Real Staying Power in Houston: This Hit is Elementary for the Alley

What: Dinner festivities launching the Alley Theatre‘s production of  Holmes and Watson

Where: The Alley Theatre

PC Moment: The last presentation of the Alley’s 2017-18 season on the Hubbard stage was a hit even before the first curtain rose on the play. As board president Butch Mach noted, advance ticket sales for the play are the second highest in the theater’s history.

No surprise then that 200 supporters rallied for the opening night celebration which began with a British-inspired dinner from City Kitchen: poached salmon and roast beef roulade with salad and Jersey royal potatoes topped of with English summer berry pudding.

Addressing the pre-performance dinner were Alley managing director Dean Gladden, thanking supporters, and the show’s director actor Mark Shanahan, noting that the play while a mystery is also a story of friendship.

Following the performance, guests reconnoitered in the Mitchell Neuhaus Lobby for a champagne toast led by Gladden and a round of singing “Happy Birthday” to long-time Alley supporter Larry Campagna. It was also time to mingle with the cast including Elizabeth Bunch, Chris Hutchison, Noble Shropshire, Bruce Warren, Dan Domingues, David Matranga, Jay Sullivan and Jeremy Webb.

The players: Interim artistic director James Black, Connie and Roger Plank, Margaret Alkek Williams, Tom Walters and Hollis Kazman, Carmen Mach, John Russell, Trini Mendenhall, Patty Hubbard, Truman Bell, Kelly Somoza, Bill Stubs, Mariquita Masterson, Brandon Weinbrenner and Mitchell Greco, Patty Campagna, Beth Madison, Michele Collins and Craig Moffat.